Wild Birds
by rlassie
Summary: Jojo Bird is like a dog with a bone. She always solves the puzzle and she never gives up. So when the Cullens come to Forks, the perfect family set her antennas quivering immediately. But is curiosity really a good thing? Or did it indeed kill the cat? And why does she find herself getting continuously distracted by butterscotch eyes and honey curls? M (language/sexual references)
1. Petrol light

**Wild Birds**

Disclaimer: Johanna Briney Bird is mine. Everything else, apart from the bits I've added in, belong to the great Meyer.

**Chapter One – Petrol light**

* * *

The base pumped hard, the windows wide open, as the bright green classic VW Beetle zoomed along the wet road in the gathering dusk. The song was a mixture of instruments, the guitar and drums swelling to fill the interior of the car and trail along behind the speeding automobile. In the drivers seat, a teenage girl bopped and jumped to the music, the top of her petite form barely making it over the steering wheel. She grinned to herself and wiggled her butt in time to the music, her fingers tapping out the beat on the leather she was gripping.

An oncoming car passed the fast-moving vehicle, the driver gawking out his side window, as a buttercup yellow conductors cap was the only thing he could see from the vibrant car. Jojo didn't pay him any attention at all. Her focus was on the road she knew like the back of her hand and the music thrumming through her blood.

To Johanna Briney Bird, music was everything. She lived it, she breathed it, she would bath in it if she could've. She played several instruments, only one of them well. She could sing too, though the sound was often described as nails on a chalkboard. Jojo didn't care. She did what she wanted and wouldn't listen to anyone who told her different.

She was a tiny girl, looking more like a 12-year-old boy then an 18-year-old high school senior. She just touched 5 ft 1, had light green eyes that were mostly hidden behind outrageously large, black, thick-rimmed glasses, and dark brown hair that was caught back in two stubby pigtails at the back of her head. She quite often wore her chin-length mop like that, or in a single messy braid. Just as she quite often wore clothes two sizes too big for her.

Not because she was trying to hide anything – she didn't have anything worth seeing to hide. But because she just liked the way it looked, especially the baggy jeans. She often paired them with big-buckled belts, oversized band t-shirts and scruffy old doc martins.

Her younger brother called her the epitome of 'lazy skater dude.' Jojo grinned whenever he said it.

At the moment, she was streaking towards her home town, having just spent the day in Seattle with Jesse, her best guy-friend. She was driving too fast and she knew it. She just didn't care. She'd been driving this road since she was fourteen, and could handle anything it might throw at her – though don't tell the Police Chief that. Chief Swan was a good guy, but even he couldn't turn a blind eye to a tween behind the wheel, even if it was years ago and there was nothing he could do about it now. She didn't want a personal visit from the Moustache Man, and she definitely didn't want to get pulled over.

She really couldn't afford to pay anymore speeding fines. She had enough of them stuffed into her underwear draw as it was.

The song ended and another came on, the big-band theme she was currently obsessed with making it sound like she had a twelve-piece orchestra in her back seat. She whooped and, letting go of the steering wheel, proceeded to air guitar-it along with the soloist. The car veered on the road, tires squealing. Jojo grinned and calmly brought the car back to the right side of the road as she approached the 'Welcome to Forks' sign.

Her eyes flicked to the dash as the fuel light suddenly blinked on. She grimaced in annoyance and jerked the wheel, scaring ten years off the life of the driver of the car in the opposite lane. His horn blared and Jojo smiled and waved cheerfully at him, before pulling in to the gas station. She switched off the engine and hopped out.

Humming to herself, she quickly filled her car, turned and then moonwalked her way inside to pay. She was singing along with the song in her head, her body swaying as she danced herself backwards. To any observer, it was plain that she wasn't watching where she was going, so it wasn't surprising that she backed straight into a solid object.

She 'oomphed' as she came to a sudden, almost violent halt, and she would have tumbled forward if the object she'd run into hadn't reached out to wrap an arm around her waist, steadying her. She hands automatically went to the arm, clutching it. She stiffened the moment her skin met her rescuers.

It was ice cold. Strong, well-muscled, with just a sprinkling of light, honey-blond hair, but arctic to the touch. The identity of Jojo's rescuer was immediately clear.

"Jasper Hale," she said as she looked over her shoulder and up, up, up. "I thank you for the save, but can I have myself back now please?"

Her rescuer's mouth quirked up at the corner ever so slightly, but he did what she asked. Jojo stepped away the instant he let her go. She really didn't like the feel of that unnaturally cold skin.

"You should watch where you're going, Johanna," Jasper said quietly, his freaky golden eyes following her as she moved away from him. Jojo grimaced again.

"How many times do I have to tell you, dude? It's Jojo, not Johanna."

Her fellow senior didn't answer, but she noted the amusement around his mouth. She'd told him over and over to call her by her nickname, but he never did. At least he would talk to her though. None of his other, ahem, _siblings_ would say a word to her, let alone the rest of the school.

A very choosy clique, the Cullen's were. Not that she wanted to join them. They were just too fucking alien. Everything about them, from the gold eyes that all of them shared, despite not being blood related, to the always buying food at lunchtime, but never _eating_ it, it all screamed NOT OF THIS WORLD.

Not that anyone else noticed anything wrong. But Jojo most definitely did, and she had many faults – to which her brother would wholeheartedly agree – her nosiness and morbid curiosity one of the biggest.

She would get to the bottom of the weirdness that was the Cullen family if it was the last thing she did.

Since Jasper was the only one who would talk to her – though both Alice and Emmett smiled at her occasionally – he was her only source. This had led to a tentative, very light friendship between the two.

Jojo would shoot herself in the head before she admitted that maybe, just maybe, a teeny tiny little bit, she might enjoy if it went further than that. Whenever these stupid, lusty, all but non-existent feelings popped up, she would firmly push them aside. Just because Jasper spoke to her on occasion, didn't mean he was any less Other. She couldn't even handle touching his skin, for God's sake. Revulsion over skin contact does not a good relationship make.

No, he was her go-to on all things Cullen, but that's all. And he wasn't even any good at that. She hadn't gotten a thing from him, though she'd been trying for most of the two years his family had been in Forks.

"So," she said as she as she passed him, continuing inside to pay. "You hear Chief Swan's long lost little bundle of joy is coming to finish her schooling with him?"

"I did," Jasper replied, following her slowly.

"What do you think of that?"

"It doesn't have anything to do with me," Jasper answered, his soft southern accent just trickling through. It didn't do it often, but whenever it did, Jojo couldn't help the betraying shiver that ran down her spine.

Jasper Hale was fucking sexy. He was odd and quiet and there was something just not right about him and the rest of his family, something off-putting that gave Jojo the creeps. But he was fucking sexy all the same.

"Sure it does," she disagreed, sending the cashier a wide smile of thanks as he handed back her change. "She's new to our tiny town and the Chief's daughter. She's everyone's business."

"I'm not sure if she'd agree with that."

"She might. You never know, she could be an attention seeking slut who will go through the entire football team in under a week."

The corner of Jasper's mouth turned up again. "You never know."

"Right you are," Jojo said, saluting him with her Dr Pepper as she headed back to her car. Jojo was addicted to Dr Pepper. She'd always thought that, along with Razzles, that God given stuff should have its own food group.

Popping some of the candy in her mouth, she opened her car door, Jasper still at her side.

"So I'll see you Monday, then?"

"You will," he agreed. She grinned, clambered in and started the car. The grin turned to a smirk when Jasper took a step back at the bullet of sound that shot out of her stereo.

"I see you've moved on from hip hop," he commented mildly after she'd turned it down slightly. Jojo grinned again and shrugged.

"Too much talking, not enough actual music."

Jasper nodded. "You would get on with Edward quite well."

_Doubt it,_ she thought. That prissy little snob always had a knowing smirk on his too perfect face. Some of the Cullen's were tolerable. Edward Cullen wasn't one of them.

"Okay," she said cheerily. Jasper picked up on her subtle sarcasm – quick, he was – and that corner quirk was there once more.

She quite liked that quirk.

_Enough of that, Jojo! Move your ass away from forbidden territory right this minute!_

"Gotta go," she said, none of her thoughts showing on her face. "Catch you at the Gates of Hell."

"Yes, I'll see you at school," Jasper agreed. He reached out as she was about to close the door, his hand stopping it.

"Johanna."

"Jojo."

"Johanna," he repeated. She rolled her eyes and looked at him. "Don't speed."

"I don't do that, do I?" she asked, her glasses not hiding her extreme innocence.

"Yes."

"I'm sure you're imagining things, Jasper. Now I really gotta go. Mom's doing venison tonight. Don't want to be late."

Jasper's mouth pulled down a little as he let go, allowing her to close the door. She wound down the window. "Deer?"

"The very same. You don't like it?"

He shook his head. "I prefer something a little more… bold."

"Whatever floats your boat," Jojo said with a merry smile, silently wondering what the hell bold meant. Just another little something to add to her list. "See you Monday."

"Goodnight, Johanna."

"Jojo!" she shouted as she pulled away far too quickly. Checking the review mirror, she saw that corner quirk again and couldn't help grinning in response. Whatever Jasper and his family were – and they were _something_, she was positive of it – he was intriguing. Digging under the surface of him and the Cullen's otherworldliness had been, and she was sure would continue to be, rather fun.

It didn't register to her until later that night, that though she'd pulled in for petrol, she hadn't seen Jasper's car – the only reason for somone to be there – at the gas station anywhere.

She'd only seen him.


	2. Baby swan

**Wild Birds**

Disclaimer: Not mine but Jojo is.

**Chapter Two – Baby swan**

_She'd only seen him._

* * *

Jojo leaned impatiently against her car on monday morning, waiting for the Cullens to arrive. She had some questions for a certain Southern Man, the main one being what the hell he'd been doing at the gas station without a car. Come to think of it, she couldn't ever remember seeing Jasper with wheels at all. He usually caught a ride in Edward's Volvo, Rosalie's BMW, or Emmet's Jeep.

Not that she knew all that much about cars, besides her mighty little Beetle. All she really cared about was how fast they went, and she couldn't afford the price tag that went with fast cars.

Though she'd love to get her hands on that BMW. Bet that thing could motor up some speed.

Okay, so maybe she did know cars a little.

She definitely knew bikes better though.

She shifted against the side of the car and tapped her foot, glancing at her watch. The bell was about to ring and she couldn't afford to be tardy again, but she needed to see him. They always pushed it to the last minute, the Cullens did. It was if they knew _exactly_ how much time they had, right down to the last second. Which was, of course, impossible. Nobody knew that.

She glanced at her watch again and sighed as the car park slowly emptied. She was about to give up when a large red Jeep and a silver Volvo pulled in. Jojo stood up straight and plastered a grin on her face. Time for some answers.

Jasper got out of the Volvo and cocked his head to the side slightly when he saw her. Alice popped out the front and skipped over to him, leaning up to whisper in his ear. Jojo frowned when he looked down at his 'sister' and smiled.

A full-out smile, not just a corner quirk. He looked happy, the smile widening when Alice wrapped her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug. Jojo's frown deepened as something inside her twisted.

Since when had he started looking at the Energizer Bunny like that?

And why the hell did she care?

She shook her head and began walking towards him, ignoring Edward, Rosalie and Emmett as they approached. Jasper slowly came forward to meet her, his face calm again.

"Johanna. You should be inside already."

"Jojo," she corrected automatically and rolled her eyes when his mouth twitched. He was doing it deliberately, she knew he was. Didn't mean it still didn't annoy her. She moved to his side and folded her arm into his, being careful not to touch his skin. She grinned up into his supernatural eyes.

"Dude, you don't own a car, do you?"

Jasper frowned. "No."

"So why were you at the gas station on saturday? Is it the latest hip place for the cool kids to hang?"

His brows rose and he cocked his head again. "I was enquiring about a job."

"Bullshit," Jojo said cheerfully, all but hearing Rosalie's teeth grind together at her reply. "You lot are loaded. No way in hell do you need a job."

"Who said anything about needing one?" he countered. "Maybe I just want one."

"At a gas station? Pull the other one, Jasper."

"If you insist on not believing his answer, why did you ask the question?!" Rosalie snapped. Jojo glanced at her in amusement.

"Just to see what his excuse is, of course," she retorted with grin. Both Alice and Emmett laughed.

"I like her, Jazz-man!" the big guy boomed.

"Why thank you," Jojo said in a simpering, overly sweet voice as she pulled back and curtsied low. "I do aim to please."

"No, you don't," Jasper said, the quirk back. "The only person you aim to please is yourself."

_And maybe you,_ Jojo thought and then scowled, mentally smacking herself. She caught a smirk out the corner of her eye and turned to see Edward looking just as superior as ever, his gold gaze on her.

"Watch you don't scare the kiddies, Eddie-boy. You never know when your face might freeze like that."

Edward's eyes widened and glared at her while Emmett burst into guffaws, his monster body shaking. If Jojo had thought Jasper tall, it was nothing compared to his adopted brother. Emmett was _huge_. Not fat huge, far from that, but definitely muscly huge. A real bear of a man. But then again, everyone was big compared to her.

He was also as far from Jojo's type as you could possible get. Muscle-bound men did nothing for her. Not that she'd go for him if he was. Jojo Bird did not poach, and it was clear even to the people who didn't know them – which was everyone – that Emmett and Amazon Barbie were a very solid item.

"I believe we have class to get to," Rosalie said icily. She took Emmett by the arm and prowled away, the big guy still chuckling as he followed her.

"She's right," Jasper said. He turned to Jojo. "Another tardy would not look good on your transcript, Johanna."

"How do you know what my transcript looks like?" Jojo asked. "And I'm not the one who spends every sunny day out of school, now am I?"

"We have permission for that!" Alice chirped, her eyes alight with joy and excitement. Far too much of it in Jojo's opinion. She pushed her glasses up and folded her arms again.

Permission to leave school? Not likely.

"Oh?"

"We're in a hiking club and the outings count towards extracurricular activity," Edward said, his tone defining the word 'lofty.' Jojo rolled her eyes.

"Okay," she said with a wide, teeth-filled grin. Edward scowled at her and pushed his way past, striding into the school without a backwards glance. Jojo sighed heavily, turning to Jasper.

"I do not believe you're psychic, Jasper. I don't think Edward likes me at all."

"I can't ever imagine why not," he said quietly and Jojo snorted. His sense of humour was buried deep, but it was there.

"So you're going to run with the 'job at the gas station' reason then?" she asked him as they walked up to the building. Jasper held the door open and looked at her.

"Yes."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Jojo said.

"I didn't say anything about getting the job."

She pursed her lips and pushed her glasses up again "Okay, touché."

"Well, I'll just leave you two doves to your own devices," Alice said with a happy grin. Jojo quickly turned to look at her, just a little startled. She'd forgotten she was there. "Got class and all. You've got English first, right Jazz? That's on the same floor as Jojo's Algebra. You should walk her to class."

Jojo frowned. "Why would he do that?"

"He's a Southern Gentleman!" Alice grinned.

"Who lives in Forks, Washington," Jojo pointed out. "Besides, it's just down the hall. I'm sure I can manage on my own."

"But-"

"Leave it, Alice," Jasper said, and though the words were quiet, the tone meant business. Jojo's arched a brow as Alice pouted.

"But the good, Jazz! The good! Why not capitalize on it?"

"Not all at once. Baby steps. Didn't you see the consequence?"

"Jasssppeerrr!" Alice whined and his mouth quirked as he shook his head.

"No."

"What the hell are you two on about?"

They both turned to see Jojo peering at them through her glasses, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Jasper looked back at Alice and angled his head.

"You have your own class to get to."

"I'm going, I'm going," Alice sighed. "But remember, Jazz, not too long."

"I know what I'm doing."

"I know you do. Just… just not too long, okay?"

"You do know that all this cryptic bullshit is highly irritating."

Jasper smiled at Jojo absently before turning and pinning Alice with a look. The Energizer Bunny huffed, turned and skipped off in the other direction. He turned back and met Jojo's eyes.

"Class, Johanna."

Jojo folded her arms. "One of these days you're going to tell me what the fuck is up with you and the rest of your family, Jasper."

Amusement pulled at the corners of his mouth. "We'll see."

"Yes, we will," she agreed with another teeth-showing grin. "Catch you on the flip side, _Jazz._"

"Till lunchtime, Johanna."

She shook her head, turned and headed for class. He was a mystery, Jasper Hale was.

One she was surprisingly enjoying solving.

~0~

She did indeed see him at lunch, along with the rest of his family, who looked as perfect as ever. Inhumanly perfect. Even the big brute, Emmett, was so good-looking, it hurt the eyes.

And their skin… if Jojo hadn't known for a fact that they walked, talked, blinked and breathed, she would have sworn they were corpses, they were that pale.

_Albino pale, really, _she thought as ploughed her way through the rest of her classes that afternoon. _Hey, maybe that's it! Maybe they're all albino!_

_Doesn't explain the butterscotch eyes and the icy temperature of their skin. Or Jasper's skin. Haven't actually touched any of the others._

She shuddered at the thought.

She remembered perfectly the first time she'd touched Jasper – accidently of course. Well, close to accidently. It just so happened to coincide with the first time she'd seen the Cullen kids. It had been two years ago, when she was a sophomore. She'd been hanging with Jesse and Monica, her two closest – and only – friends, and school had been about to start. A large SUV had pulled into the car park, and the Cullens had piled out of it before it pulled away again. She remembered being shocked at how beautiful they all were, though her attention had mostly been captured by a tall boy with longish honey blond curls and an indifferent, slightly pained expression on his gorgeous face.

Jojo had noticed the others of course. How could she not? But her eyes had been drawn back, time and time again, to Honey Curls. She remembered staring – rather rudely, now that she thought about it – and then Honey's head had whipped round, his eyes slamming into hers.

Instant lung freeze. His eyes had been a buttery caramel colour, and as she had stared, dumbfounded, they had actually _darkened_. Darkened to a burnt maple that had made her heart race and had a foreign, confusing heat rushing through her. She'd just turned sixteen and had never paid any attention to boys – hadn't really seen the point.

Until then.

She shaken it off and quickly turned away from him, more than ready to put it out of her mind. She and Jesse and Monica had just begun to head inside, when two big, burly football players had roughly pushed their way between the three, sending the even tinier figure that she'd been back then, speedily towards the ground.

The expected painful contact had never come. Someone had caught her around the stomach and gently set her back on her feet. She'd looked up to thank the person who had stopped her losing some skin, and had met burnt maple. Honey Curls had sent her a half smile while she'd gaped at him.

"Hello. I'm Jasper."

"Johanna," she'd whispered. To this day, she had no idea why she'd told him her full first name. Unless she was in trouble, she hadn't been known by Johanna since her fourth birthday.

"Nice to meet you, Johanna," he'd said. "My siblings and I are new to the area and this school. Would you be so kind to show us the way to the office?"

"If she doesn't, I will," Monica had muttered. She'd been quickly seconded by Jesse, who even back then had been out and proud.

Jojo had ignored her friends and nodded robotically, before leading the group into the building, Jasper by her side. He'd walked very close to her, even at one point getting in front of her for some reason, which had led to him heading in the wrong direction. Jojo had automatically grabbed his hand to stop him.

His skin had been so _cold._ She'd jerked back and stared at him, the temperature waking up her awe-fogged brain. Her eyes had narrowed as she'd looked – really _looked_ – at him and his siblings for the first time. She'd been horrified and deeply disbelieving of what she'd seen.

She remembered Jesse murmuring something about Jojo catching a scent again, and the other Cullens swapping looks when he had. She then remembered grinning a maniacal grin – lots of teeth – and innocently asking them exactly where they were from, right down to the longitude and latitude.

She'd been on Jasper's case ever since. Asking question after question, challenging his answers – of which he had every time. He'd come to school the next day with his eyes back to the buttery caramel, and she'd noticed that they'd gotten even lighter since then. That had been her second question. She's had ample opportunity to question him in the last two years as well. He seemed to like providing reasons for her to be suspicious – she was pretty positive he found it amusing. For some reason, Jasper just seemed to like being around her altogether, though she had no idea why.

Why would you like someone who questioned you at every turn?

But he did, and even Jojo had to admit that their banter was fun. She liked their light friendship, and she somehow knew that if she ever needed him, he would be there.

She had no idea how she knew this. She just did.

~0~

The first thing she noticed when she got to school the next day was that the student body was in an uproar – more so the male half of the populace than the female. She didn't find out the reason for it until lunch. She was chatting with Monica as she entered the cafeteria, but she still immediately saw the newest addition sitting at a table in the centre of the room.

Bella Swan. The Moustache Man's little girl. It had to be. She was sitting with Jessica Stanley – poor her – Angela Webber and Mike Newton – double poor her. Her long brown hair fell down her back and she was hunched over slightly, so that it fell in her face as well. She was talking quietly with Angela, her body language anxious as she tried to ignore the whispering going on around her. Jojo turned to her friend.

"I'll meet you at the table, 'kay? Gonna go meet me a Baby Swan."

"Okay," Monica said warily, "but don't go off on a spiel about the Cullens. The girl has a right to make up her own mind about the Crème De La Crème."

"Would I do that?" Jojo innocently enquired.

"Not about Jasper, but you damn well know you would about the rest of them."

_I would about Jasper too,_ she thought as she grinned at her friend and turned to go introduce herself to The New Girl. She was half way across the room when the Cullens came in through the outside door. Jasper looked up as he entered and sent her that quirking glimpse of a smile.

_Okay, maybe I wouldn't about Honey Curls…_

Shaking her head, she got to the table in time to find she didn't need her spiel. Jessica had beaten her to it.

"… and the one who looks like he's in pain? That's Jasper Hale, Rosalie's twin. He's not with anyone either, but everyone knows that it's just a matter of time before him and Alice hook up. They're too close not to."

"Dude, he only looks like he's in pain when he's around his siblings," Jojo said, ignoring the surprisingly strong urge to smack Jessica as she pulled out a seat and sat down uninvited. "If you had to put up with The Bitch Queen all the times, you'd look like you were in pain as well."

Laughter sounded over the din and Jojo looked over at the Cullen table to see Alice giggling her head off, Emmett hiding his laughter behind his hand, Jasper smiling slightly down at the table, and Edward smirking. Rosalie just looked majorly pissed. Jojo frowned. What were they so jolly about? And who had put that sour look on Amazon Barbie's face? Fantastic accomplishment. She really wanted to shake their hand.

"The Bitch Queen?" Bella murmured. A faint smile pulled at her lips.

"Rosalie Hale. Hi, I'm Jojo Bird." She held out her hand. Bella frowned slightly and took it.

"Bella Swan. I think I've met you before."

"Probably. I've lived in Forks my whole life, and you used to come spend summers with The Moustache Man, right?"

"The Moustache Man?"

"Chief Swan," Jessica answered, speaking over top of the senior and glaring at her. Jojo grinned. She loved stealing Little Miss Gossip's thunder.

"Ah, Charlie," Bella said. "Yeah, I did.

"I've lived here my whole life as well, Bella," Mike said eagerly. "Do you remember me?"

"We all have, Mike," Angela said with a roll of her eyes.

"So, the Cullens," Jessica said loudly, her glare now sweeping the table. "Don't get your hopes up for anything to happen there. They don't lower themselves to us mortals."

Bella nodded absently as Jessica continued her pouting tirade, but her eyes were on the far table. Jojo cocked her head, intrigue running through her when she realized who Baby Swan was looking at.

She was staring at Edward Cullen and she was frowning.

Jojo sat back, tuning out the other three junior's conversation. Slowly a smile spread across her face, and she couldn't help it. She rubbed her hands together with glee.

If she wasn't mistaken, that was suspicion and puzzlement she saw in Bella Swan's brown eyes. Finally, _finally, _there was someone else who saw what she saw. Someone who might actually listen to her. Someone who might like to help in finding out all that was wrong with the Crème De La Crème.

She sighed in contentment and folded her hands over her stomach. Life was looking up.


	3. Douchebag pooling

**Wild Birds**

Disclaimer: I like Jojo, I think I'll keep her. SM can have the rest if she likes.

**Chapter Three – Douchebag pooling**

_She sighed in contentment and folded her hands over her stomach. Life was looking up._

* * *

Later that day, Jojo was leaving the guidance councillor's office, just having finished a pointless conversation about what she was planning to do next year – she already _knew_ what she was going to do, she didn't need some soft-headed idiot trying to talk her out of it – when Edward Cullen strode straight towards her. He wasn't looking at her, he was staring above her head, but as he came closer it became clear that he wasn't going to step past her. Jojo briefly thought of maybe not getting out of his way, just to see how he would react when he ran her down, but decided against it. Edward wasn't a huge guy, but he was still a lot bigger than her.

She'd already gotten far too many bruises from people who just didn't see her, or just didn't care, as it was. She didn't need to add any more to the list.

Stepping back quickly, she pursed her lips as the Poster Child motored right past her. Watching him as he walked by made her frown again. His face was whiter than usual, the skin taunt across the bones. His lips were pinched and his hands were fisted tightly at his sides. His nostrils were flared wide and behind the lines bracketing his mouth, it looked as if he was grinding his teeth.

But it was his eyes that made her follow him.

They were pitch black. Not just a little darker than his usual molten gold, but _black_ black, no white, free from any light source at all, black as the devils asshole. It was freaky and wrong and Jojo just _had_ to know what was going on. So she trailed behind him, stopping and leaning against the wall as he marched into the main office.

Oh, did he leave that door open a touch? Silly him. Of course it couldn't have had anything to do with the book she accidently/on purpose whipped out of her bag and rested against the door to keep it open. She wouldn't do that!

What followed next was a very confusing conversation. Why would Edward Cullen suddenly want to swap out of his biology class half way through the year? And why did he look incredibly angry when he was told that he couldn't? She pondered this as he argued, his voice getting softer and more menacing the more he spoke. She shivered involuntary when he growled so low, the sound was almost out of human hearing range, which only made it scarier.

Though she gave Edward and the rest of his family shit – or she tried to, it only worked when they deemed her worthy of their attention – she wasn't stupid. Something was wrong with that family, and that something could be _very_ dangerous when it wanted to be.

Suddenly Edward's speech faltered. Jojo frowned and then looked over at the sound of footsteps, to see Bella Swan slowly walking towards her, her face to the floor as she hugged her books to her chest. She drew herself away from the wall, a little relieved at the interruption. The atmosphere was getting just a little too Texas Chainsaw Massacre for her tastes.

"Bella, hey," she said, smiling at the timid girl. "What you up to?"

"Just dropping off this form the teachers had to sign," she answered, frowning a little. "What about you?"

"Dropped my book," Jojo said with a wide grin, bending to scoop it up. Bella looked at her as if she'd grown a spare head.

"Right."

They both turned when the door opened wider and Edward stepped through. Jojo instinctively took a step back at the look he was sending the town's Newbie.

While he'd been scary after failing to get what he wanted, now he looked absolutely terrifying. His black eyes were so full of hate, Jojo was surprised Bella wasn't a steaming pile of melted body parts on the floor.

For some reason, Newbie didn't look all that intimidated, though. She stared right back at him and after a second, he turned away, threw Jojo a sneer and walked off. Both girls watched him go.

"Creepazoid," the senior muttered before turning to Bella. "What did you do to get The Golden Boy's panties in a wad?"

"The Golden Boy?" Bella questioned, amusement in her tone. "What's with you and the weird nicknames?"

Jojo grinned and shrugged. "Just what I do. Come on now, spill. You accidently mess up his perfectly coiffed hair or something?"

"No," Bella murmured, looking down the hall again. "I think he, ah, maybe doesn't like the way I smell. Or something."

"Doesn't like the way you smell?" Jojo repeated, her tone heavy with disbelief. She pushed her glasses up and stepped over to the taller girl, snuffling at her like an overexcited puppy. Bella frowned in confusion, the expression clearing slightly when Jojo stepped back. "Dude, I catch no rank scent."

"Why do I get the feeling that, if you did, you'd tell me immediately and probably loudly as well?"

"Awww, hey, look, you know me so well already!"

Bella smiled at her shyly and then looked towards the office door. "Well, I've got to…"

"Sure," Jojo said with a grin. "I've got an interrogation to conduct anyway. I'll catch you tomorrow, Baby Swan."

Bella frowned again and opened her mouth, before closing it with a shake of her head. She walked into the office and Jojo turned to head out to the car park. If she assumed correctly, Jasper and perhaps the rest of his family would still be there. She knew Jasper would be. He seemed to like hanging around The Gates of Hell at the end of the day.

She picked up her pace, grinning in anticipation. She really did have an interrogation to conduct.

~0~

She was right; Jasper was still there when she walked out into the just-spitting rain. He was leaning against Emmett's Jeep, talking quietly to his muscle-bound brother. No other Cullen was in sight, which Jojo was pleased about. She pulled her beanie down more tightly over her hair and walked over to them.

Jasper seemed to know she was coming. He turned and watched her approach, sending her that half-smile when she stopped beside him.

"Johanna."

Jojo sighed, deciding that she wasn't even going to bother correcting him. It was a waste of time anyway, time she could be spending asking all the important questions.

"Jasper," she said in reply, nodding at him. She looked over his shoulder and wiggled her fingers at the behemoth grinning at her.

"Hey, Lumberjack."

The big guy's grin widened. "Hey, Short-stack. How ya doing?"

"I'm fantastic," Jojo grinned. "Though something a bit unusual did happen not too long ago. Or not so unusual if you think about it."

"What's that?" Emmett asked. Jasper was silent, just watching the two.

"Your brother acted more freaky than normal."

"Edward?" Jasper said as his eyes widened. He stepped closer to her and took her hand. "He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Jojo frowned at the urgency in his tone. "No. He just prowled around the school, growled at the office lady, glared violently at Bella Swan and sneered at me. But the thing is though, he did all this with inky black eyes. What's up with that, dude?"

Jasper shared a look with Emmett and then turned and patted her hand, as if she was a small child. "That's nothing for you to worry about, Johanna. Just put it out of your mind."

Jojo snorted and tugged her hand away, rubbing to re-warm them. "Don't patronize me, Jasper. You lot have been completely off since you got here and up until now, me trying to figure you out has been more in fun than anything else. But this… this was _scary._ Eddie-boy is dangerous at the moment. He needs to get himself under control, before someone gets hurt."

"Edward would never hurt anyone," Emmett said firmly. Jojo scoffed.

"Yeah, tell that to New Girl Bella, whom he was staring at like he wanted to rip apart. This is all wrong. The outrageous cover of humanity your family is using is flimsy at best, and the way your bro is acting today isn't helping strengthen it."

Jasper shared another look with Emmett and the big guy raised his brows, clearing asking where Honey Blond wanted to go from here. Jasper sighed and turned back to the tiny, agitated human who was confronting him, his expression apprehensive.

"Johanna-"

"Jojo!"

All three seniors turned towards the school and Jojo scowled when she saw her 14-year-old brother running towards her. What was he still doing here? He should be on his way home by now.

"Nicky," she said as the freshman skidded to a stop. "Why aren't you heading home?"

"That's why," Nicky said as he nodded towards the car park entrance. As if on cue, an old black pickup pulled into the lot and stopped in front of them. Jojo smiled slightly when Nicky's best friend, Seth Clearwater bounded out to meet them, the smile quickly falling off her face when the driver of the trunk followed him.

"Hi, Jojo!" Seth beamed, the natural excitement that he lived and breathed every day pumping from him.

"Hey, Chief," Jojo said with a grin. Seth's smile widened, chuffed with his personal nickname.

"What? No hello for me?"

Jojo bared her teeth in a fierce smile and turned to Paul Lahote, the driver and a boy who she actually used to think was a good guy. That was until about four months ago, when she'd let him get her on her back and then he'd dumped her the very next day. Hell, he hadn't even waited for the next day. He'd left her bed before the sheets had even had time to cool. They hadn't been in a relationship or anything, so she hadn't been heartbroken, but she hadn't at all appreciated being treated like a blow-up doll. Especially considering he'd popped her cherry.

"Douche," she greeted, insanely pleasant. The 17-year-old moron smirked at her and folded his arms.

"Need bodyguards now, do you, Jojo?"

He nodded to the side and Jojo looked over to see Emmett scowling at the Quileute, his eyes hard. But it was the look in Jasper's eyes that surprised her.

He was tense as if expecting an attack and his lips were peeled back from his teeth in a snarl. No sound came out, but it was clearly still a threatening look. His eyes weren't black like his brother's had been, but they weren't their usual butterscotch either. That burnt maple was back and Jojo shivered, not sure if she was reacting with fear or a hotter, more confusing emotion. His dark eyes were locked on Paul and Emmett's hand was locked on his upper arm. Jojo frowned before dismissing him for the moment and turning back to Paul.

"Bodyguards? Please! These guys are just friends, ones that you're not important enough to be introduced to. I can more than take care of myself." She smirked back at him and cocked her head to the side, her eyes wide. "Or don't you remember?"

Paul scowled, making Jojo grin. She loved reminding him about the time she'd had him rolling around on the ground, nearly puking in pain. It was amazing what a boot to the balls could do.

"What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be out breaking some poor, innocent girl's heart?"

"Like I did with you? Or is it that you don't have one of those?"

Nicky grabbed Jojo's arm before she could retort, glaring at her. "Stop. Paul's my ride and I don't want to end up walking to La Push because you couldn't resist goading him."

"Me?" Jojo protested. "What about him? And why are you going to La Push? You told Mom you were going to be home after school!"

"I know I did, but… please, Jojo, can you please let her know that I won't be and where I am? Seth's got this awesome new Playstation game and I need to have a go!"

"You were going to help Mom clean out the attic, Nicky," Jojo said, frowning at him. "You promised her you would."

"Jamie-Lynn can. It's not that messy anyway. Please Jojo?"

"She's not going to be happy," his sister warned. "And you do know that if I do this, you'll owe me big, because, umm, oh that's right, Mom won't be happy!"

"I'll do your chores for a week."

Jojo snorted. "Sorry, kid, not nearly enough to placate me. She'll be Rampaging Godzilla and I really don't want to deal with that. You know how she feels about broken promises."

Nicky frowned, his bottom lip poking out in a pout. He blinked his wide blue eyes at her and took her hand. "Pleeeaaassseee, Jojo? I'll love you forever."

Jojo sighed silently, not at all pleased that the look he had perfected when he was three still worked on her eleven years later. She'd never been able resist Nicky when he pleaded. Not even their 11-year-old sister could twist her around her little finger the way Nicholas Cameron Bird could.

"Fine," she grumbled. "Go. But be prepared, Monster. You'll be singing for your supper, be sure of that."

"Yes!" Nicky fist pumped, bounding over to slap palms with Seth. Jojo shook her head and turned to see Paul smirking at her again. She scowled.

"Not a word, dickhead. And don't you dare go even a smidge over the speed limit. Why are you even driving them anyway?"

"This from the girl who drives like a bat out of hell?" Paul sneered. Jojo bared her teeth again and stepped up into his space, hearing but not acknowledging the low snarl from behind her. This was between her and the guy who had treated her like shit. Besides, Jasper didn't know her well enough to have an opinion.

"There's a difference between moving at a fast pace in a safe way, and driving recklessly to see how fast that hunk of junk can go. I mean it, Paul. You endanger my brother even a little bit, and I'll cut off your balls and feed them to you. Capiche?"

She said all this in a low voice, so that Nicky wouldn't overhear her and get offended and embarrassed, though going by Emmett's quiet chuckles, it hadn't been as soft as she was hoping for. Her brother hated it when she was overprotective. She couldn't help it though. She'd always felt more like a mother than a sister to him.

That might have had something to do with the age difference between them, and the fact that she didn't meet Nicky until she was five and he was about a year and a half. And that was because Nicky wasn't her and Jamie-Lynn's full brother. He was the result of her parents splitting up when Jojo was young, and her mother having a one-night stand with some random dude during said splitting. Her parents had eventually gotten back together and her father had embraced Nicky and formally adopted him, loving him just as much as he did Jojo and later, Jamie-Lynn.

Nicky knew that their dad wasn't his biological father, their parents having never hidden that from any of their children. He'd never asked about his sperm donor, because that's all the faceless man was to him; the person who had provided one half of his DNA and nothing more.

Though they didn't know who he was, Jojo was sure that the guy must have been Native American, going by her brother's colouring. If it wasn't for his bright blue eyes and hair that leant more towards brown than black, Nicky could have passed for Quileute any day.

"Oooh, I'm scared," Paul smirked. "You might want to cut the apron strings a bit, Jojo. Wouldn't want baby brother to turn into a nancy-boy."

"Wanna eat dirt again, jerk?" she asked sweetly.

"Wanna eat _me_ again, sugar?"

Jojo blanched. "I'd boil myself in acid first," she answered, stepping back and looking at the Jeep at a loud screeching sound. Jasper was still leaning back against it, staring blankly at the ground, his face paler that usual and his hands gripping the hood behind him. She frowned. He looked weird, like he wasn't even present, and he was trembling slightly. He actually looked kind of sick.

She flicked her gaze to Emmett and the Mountain shook his head, placing his hand on Jasper's shoulder. She held his gaze for a moment, but all he did was stare back at her calmly, not giving anything away. She grimaced and turned back to the lothario in front of her.

"You didn't answer my question. Why are you driving them?" she asked.

"I'm babysitting, sweetheart. Someone's got to look after Sethy-Wethy while his parents are at work."

"Hey!" Seth protested, him and Nicky breaking up their motor-mouthing and wandering over. "I can look after myself!"

"Yeah, and I just can imagine the trouble a 13-year-old boy would get into if left alone," Jojo joked. "Not to mention The Moustache Man's disapproval. But I'm sure Mrs Clearwater can come up with a better alternative than asshat here. What about Leah?"

Seth rolled his eyes. "She's spending all her time with Sam. Doesn't hang around home much anymore."

_Of course she doesn't,_ Jojo thought. She wouldn't either, not if she had Sam Uley on her arm. The man was hot.

She turned to Nicky, sending him a pointed look. "Well, you better be home for dinner then. Mom's making meatloaf and I refuse to suffer through that alone."

"Jamie-Lynn will be there!"

"Oh, didn't you hear? She told Mom she was a meatloaf vegetarian now, because it's made from sausage meat, which reminds her of horses. And because we all know how much Jamie-Lynn loves horses, Mom believed her! So no more of that little lovely for her from now on!"

"Dammit! Why didn't I think of that? Crafty little sucker," Nicky grumbled. "Okay, fine, I'll be there. That's my comeuppance, right?"

Jojo smirked. "No, no. You'll know when that happens, believe me."

Nicky groaned, turning to glare at Seth when the boy laughed, very clearly laughing at him. Jojo grinned at the two of them before turning to Paul. "Have him home by six."

"Yes ma'am," he drawled. He paused for a second and then smirked once again – one of these days, she was going to smack that expression right off his face. "Not going to tell me where you live?"

Jojo rolled her eyes and turned away from him. Unfortunately the idiot knew _exactly_ where she lived. God, she regretted letting her hormones rule her head.

"Come on, come on, let's go!" Seth cried, jumping up and down on the spot. "I wanna go annihilate Nicky!"

"So not going to happen, my man!" Nicky grinned, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Ima gonna kick your ass, bro!"

"I don't think so!" Seth sing-songed. Paul groaned.

"Ima gonna kill myself by the end of the night if they carry on like this," he muttered. Jojo sent him a wide, sugar-coated smile.

"Have fun, shithead," she cooed. Paul leered at her.

"See you later, lover," he purred as he opened the drivers-side door, the words and tone dripping with oil. Jojo shuddered violently and faked puking her guts out. Paul just smirked in response.

"You two! Truck, now!" he ordered. The two boys scrambled in, chattering a mile a minute, and soon they were pulling away. Jojo let out a sigh of relief and turned back to her original companions.

"Now, where were we? Is Edward-"

"We need to go," Jasper said abruptly, his voice low and strained. He straightened up in an almost instant movement and opened the passenger door, not looking at Jojo, who frowned at the suddenness of it. She looked at Emmett.

"What…?"

"Beats me," he said with a grin. "But he's right, we do have to go. Esme's expecting us. See you tomorrow, Short-stack."

"Yeah, on the morn, Lumberjack," Jojo replied absently, still frowning at Jasper through the windscreen. He didn't glance up, didn't acknowledge her at all. She scowled, looking down as she tried to ignore the unbelievably silly hurt that him snubbing her caused, and then narrowed her eyes.

"Hey, Emmett?"

"Yeah?" the big guy answered

"What happened to your hood?"

Emmett looked down to where Jojo was nodding and then shrugged. "Must have hit a raccoon or something on the way to school this morning. No biggie. Rosie will fix it."

He got into the jeep and started the engine, speaking quietly to Jasper as he did so. Jojo watched them as they pulled away, Jasper still not giving her any sort of acknowledgement. Yeah, a raccoon did that all right.

Because that's _exactly _what left a handprint-shaped dent in the solid metal of the Jeep's hood.

* * *

**A/N - You may have noticed that I upped Pauls age a couple of years from canon. This is because Jojo wouldn't go for a guy who's round about three years younger then her, especially considering her brother's round that age as well. She isn't Bella or Rachel. ;D Let me know what you think!**


	4. Not another brother

**Wild Birds**

Disclaimer: I'd love it if Jasper were mine. But, alas, no such luck.

**Chapter Four – Not another brother**

_Because that's exactly what left a handprint-shaped dent in the solid metal of the Jeep's hood._

* * *

It was a surprisingly clear evening that night. Jojo sat out on the back porch, curled up on the cane two-seater, her guitar in her lap. The rain had stopped about ten minutes before, so that the wet still hung in the air and gave the latish hour a bit of a bite. She was wearing a massive crocheted jersey to combat it, and she had a Dr Pepper sitting on the stool beside her. She would have been happy if it wasn't for the lingering off-ness that was sitting on her chest.

She didn't know what was wrong with her. She'd been feeling weird all afternoon. Ever since Jasper had exited stage right as fast as his long, sexy legs could carry him, she'd been feeling… she didn't even know _what_ she'd been feeling. All she knew was that she needed the wet and the quiet and she _really_ needed her music.

Sighing, and then scowling because she'd sighed for no reason at all, she picked up her guitar, her fingers running over it in a caress. She loved the instrument in her hands. It was an acoustic guitar, a Martin DRS1 Dreadnought and it was one of two guitars she owned. The other was electric, but she wasn't in the mood for energy and sound at the moment. Her mood was slow and a little forlorn, and as she began running her fingers along the strings, that came across in her music.

She lost herself. The cords were mellow and deep, ringing through the still evening air. She played with her eyes closed and just enjoyed, letting the music sing to the world what she was feeling. It was as she played that she finally realized _exactly_ what she was feeling, what the off-ness in her chest had been. She frowned as the song came to an end, not liking her realization.

"That was beautiful."

Jojo shrieked and jumped from the two-seater, only years of holding her guitar steady keeping it in her arms. She spun around and goggled at the reason for her blueness. He stood at the foot of the porch, watching her with a hand on his chest.

"Jesus Christ, Jasper, don't _do_ that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Where the hell did you come from?"

Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the drops of water clinging to the end of his curls. "Did you _walk _here?"

He shrugged and rubbed his chest absently, mouth quirking. "It's a nice night."

"A nice night?" Jojo gawked. "You live miles out of town! It must have taken you ages to get here!"

"I was in the mood for a stroll."

Jojo stared at him for a pregnant moment, then shook her head. "Whatever," she muttered.

"What was that you were playing?"

"Nothing, really," she said, trying to shrug it off. "Just whatever I was feeling."

"It sounded sad."

"Yeah, maybe. I don't know." She scowled at him. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Jasper rubbed his chest again before his hand fell. He took a step forward, his foot on the bottom step, and waved towards the two-seater.

"May I join you?"

"So polite," she mocked, shaking her head again, this time in amusement. "Get your ass up here, Cowboy."

That half-smile lit his face and Jojo felt better than she had all afternoon. Which was stupid. Shoving the idiotic feeling aside, she sat back down again, folding her legs under her, and leant her guitar against the arm of her seat. Jasper walked up and took the seat beside her. She watched him as she picked up her Dr Pepper and gulped down a mouthful.

"Well? Spill, Jazz-man. Why'd you come seek me out?"

"Maybe I was just in the neighbourhood," Jasper suggested as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Jojo snorted into her can.

"What, the neighbourhood of my backyard? Want to sell me another one?"

Her fellow senior was silent for a bit, staring out into the yard. Jojo continued to sip her drink, digging some Razzles out of her pocket. She knew from experience not to offer them to Jasper. The last time she'd tried, his lip had curled up in a disgusted sneer.

"I wanted to apologize."

Jojo looked up her candy, a frown crossing her features. She pushed up her glasses and cocked her head.

"Apologize? What for?"

"For the way I acted this afternoon. The way I… left. I shouldn't have done it the way I did. It was rude and I'm sorry for it."

"Okay," Jojo said after a moment, watching him closely. He seemed to be trying to say something else, or at least say _sorry_ for something else, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what it was. She didn't understand why he was apologizing in the first place. Or why he'd come all the way into town – on foot no less – when he could have just seen her the next day. It didn't make sense. They weren't _that_ close friends. "Hmm. Apology accepted."

He nodded, the movement seemingly casual, but Jojo noticed the way his body tensed and then just sort of relaxed, all tension flowing from him. She frowned further, wondering what the hell was up with him. It was as if his state of mind had rested on her answer to his apology – an apology he hadn't needed to give in the first place.

"Alright. Well, I'll let you enjoy the rest of your evening," he said, getting up and brushing off his pants, before stepping off the porch. Jojo scowled in annoyance, both at him and at herself as he began to head towards the trees surrounding the back of her house.

"Hold up."

Jasper turned and cocked a brow at her in question, at which point Jojo noticed absently that his eyes were back to normal – normal for him anyway.

"You're not going to walk home."

He shrugged. "Sort of have to."

"Bullshit," she grumbled, sighing and getting up. "Come on." She jumped off the porch and headed around the side of the house, stopping when she realized that Jasper wasn't following her. "Are you coming?"

"Where are we going?" he asked, sounding a little wary. Jojo rolled her eyes.

"If you walk home now, you won't get there until midnight at the earliest. I'll drive you home."

He blinked in surprise. "You don't need to do that. It's a long way out."

"All the more reason you shouldn't walk it. Are you coming or not?"

His mouth quirking into that half-smile, Jasper slowly walked towards her.

"Thank you, Johanna."

"Yeah, yeah, don't get used to it," she said as she turned away again, hoping he hadn't noticed the pleased smile she was currently wearing.

~0~

"Do you always play without a pick?" Jasper asked as they sped along the road towards his secluded family home. Jojo shrugged as she effortlessly guided her Beetle.

"Not always. Depends on my mood. You get a different sound when you use your fingers, and sometimes that's what I'm after."

"And you play the electric guitar as well?"

Jojo frowned and looked at him. "Yeah. How did you know that?"

"Eyes on the road, Johanna," he said calmly. She huffed and concentrated on driving again.

"How did you know, Jasper?" she repeated. "You're not a stalker, are you?"

He chuckled and Jojo only just stopped her mouth from dropping open. Jesus. In the two years that she'd know him, she'd never once heard him laugh. Who knew the sound could so warm and sensual? She swallowed hard, a shiver running through her as she sensed his gaze land on her and cling.

"No, Johanna, I'm not a stalker," he said, and she gulped again. Was his voice always that low? That… _hot?_ "I just pay attention. I like music and I've seen you entering the music room at school a time or two. As an electric guitar usually follows after you do, I put two and two together."

"And got five, right," she muttered. "If you knew already, why did you ask?"

"Because you seem to be keeping in on the down-low. I wasn't sure if it was a secret or not. I wanted you to confirm it so that…"

"So that I was the one telling you and you didn't get into trouble for stalking me?" she asked in an overly innocent voice. She glanced at him to see a sheepish expression enter his butterscotch eyes.

"Something like that," he admitted.

"Sneaky, Mr Hale, very sneaky," she said, not able to keep the approval out of her tone.

"Why, thank you, darlin'," he drawled and the car veered a touch as his words and accent hit her dead, low in her belly. She sucked in a sharp breath as she straightened up again, her blood pounding in time with her heart. Throbbing, long, loud and deep.

"Ah, why doesn't your twin sister have that accent?" she asked in an obvious attempt to change the subject, her voice a little hoarse. Fuck, she hated hormones!

Jasper was silent for so long, Jojo glanced over at him to see if he'd actually heard her. He was staring out the front window, his hands fisted on his knees. His face was angled away a little, so she couldn't see his eyes, but his mouth was pulled tight, as if his teeth were clenched.

"Jasper?"

"What?"

"Why doesn't Rosalie have a southern accent?"

"She grew up with our mother in New York, while I grew up with our father in Houston. Our parents got back together just before we hit our teens and Dad and I moved in with Mom and Rose. When they died, Rose and I moved in with Esme and Carlisle, who are our Aunt and Uncle."

_That was a very prepared speech, _Jojo thought, fighting down her sympathy for the death of his parents. For all she knew, he'd never had parents.

"Ah, sorry," she said lamely. Jasper finally turned to look at her as they pulled into the turnoff leading to the Cullen house.

"Don't say that because you feel you have to," he said in a quiet voice. "We get that far too often. We're happy with what we have now. Life is… good."

Jojo pursed her lips at the hesitation. He was happy? She didn't think so. Happy was a good, strong emotion, and for some reason, she didn't think Jasper was feeling that sort of good emotion at this point in his life.

Shrugging mentally, she pulled up to the house. Who was she to psychoanalyze what he was thinking and feeling? She didn't know him. All she knew was that he was wholly different and she wasn't sure if she was okay with that or not, especially when she didn't know exactly how different he was. And he clearly wasn't telling.

"Holy shit, Jasper, you live here?" she gasped as she followed him out of the car, stood back and gawped. The place was _huge._ Three stories, most of all one side entirely glass. It was beautiful and it seemed to fit right in with the wilderness surrounding it, which was completely contradictory. She loved it on sight.

"That I do," he answered, hesitating for a second. "Do you want to come inside?"

This time, Jojo turned to gape at him. "Umm, no, that's okay. I have to get back anyway. Mom will freak if I'm out too much later. I'll see you at school?"

"You will," he murmured, turning towards the house. Jojo nodded and opened the car door again.

"Johanna?"

She scowled and turned around. "You know, one of these days I'm just not going to answer you when you call me that."

"One of these days," he agreed with that quirk. "So. That… boy. The one from earlier today?"

"Who? Oh, you mean Paul?" Jojo questioned. She folded her arms and leaned back against the car when he grimaced and nodded. "What about him?"

"You don't see him often, do you?"

"Only when I absolutely have to, and even then that's too often," she smirked. "Why?"

"I just… will you do me a favour?"

She cocked her head. "Depends what it is."

"Will you just be careful around him? He seems a little volatile and I don't like the look of him. I don't think he's trustworthy."

There was a slight pause. "Oh, and you are?" Jojo asked very sweetly. "You don't even know him, Jasper. Who are you to judge?"

"I'm just saying-"

"I know what you're saying and I don't like it one bit. I've been taking care of myself for years now, and I'm a good judge of character. Paul may be a jackass, but he's not a truly bad guy. Just a cocky, self-important one, and one I'm done with. So please stop acting like you need to protect me from him. This puffed-up, macho, big-brotherly bullshit doesn't suit you at all."

"Big-brotherly," Jasper deadpanned. Jojo smiled at him, wide and syrupy.

"Yup. I already have a brother who drives me to insanity as it is, I _really_ don't need another one."

Jasper hummed quietly, watching her. "I can see that. And you can put your mind at ease, Johanna, because 'big-brotherly' wasn't at all what I was going for."

"What were you talking about then?"

"It doesn't matter at the moment. You need to get home before it gets too dark."

Jojo groaned. "My God, you are _such_ a contradiction!"

He half-smiled at her and folded his arms. Jojo didn't at all notice the way that movement made the muscles in his upper arms flex. No, of course she didn't.

"Just keeping you on your toes, darlin'."

She groaned again, silently this time. A word, a single word, and she was a heated ball of mush. It was horrendously frustrating, as other than suspiciously, she didn't want to be thinking of him in any way, friendship or otherwise. Not when he was continuously lying to her.

"See ya, Curly," she sighed, getting into the car. In a movement that echoed that past weekend, Jasper walked over and leaned against her open window.

"Watch your speed."

She rolled her eyes and sent him a pointed look. "I can handle myself."

"I agree. Just… be careful. Please."

"You're not my brother," she sing-songed quietly. The words made Jasper smirk, which in turn, made Jojo blink in shock. Holy hell, that was sexy.

"I know."

She stared at him for a moment and then shook her head, turning the key. "Bu-bye now."

"See you tomorrow, Johanna."

She drove away quickly, noticing out the rear-view mirror that he watched her until she'd moved out of sight. What she didn't notice, until she'd gotten home later than she'd been anticipating, was that she'd done as he'd asked. She'd played it safe and watched her speed.

~0~

For the next week, Edward Cullen didn't come to school, and for the next week, Jojo hounded Jasper about the reason why. Much to her frustration, he didn't give her what she wanted. All he said was that his brother had some things to work through, and that it was his business and nobody else's. Though he'd said it gently, Jojo couldn't help feeling chastened, which in turn annoyed her. No one apart from her father had the ability to call her on her need to know anything and everything that was going on around her. She was a suspicious and nosey person by nature, and she'd never been ashamed of it, unless her dad pointed out that she might have been going too far. Now, someone else was making her feel the way Alexander Bird could, and it pissed her off.

Neither Jesse nor Monica could get her to tone down her curious nature, and the three of them had basically known each other since they were in diapers. She just laughed when Jamie-Lynn tried it, and Nicky didn't try at all – most of the time he grinned his head off when Jojo openly stuck her nose into other people's business. Her mom couldn't change her either, and had finally given up trying, which her daughter was pleased about. Her dad had always had the most success, a single look or a quiet word making her close her mouth and step back. But then again, he was her rock, the one who had always been there for her through thick and thin, so it was understandable that he could influence her. So why was the same thing from a boy she barely knew making her react in much the same way?

It didn't make any sense! Saying that, far too many things that the Cullens did and said didn't make any sense. It was highly exasperating that she was the only one to notice as well. Was the rest of the school blind?

Newbie Bella clearly wasn't. She wandered around for the rest of that week, looking discontented, her eyes always on the move, as if searching. Jojo spoke to her as often as she could, and brought up the Cullens just as often. Bella would flush slightly when they were mentioned, Edward in particular, and then frown in puzzlement. Jojo could almost see her mind working to see through the façade the Beautiful Family showed the rest of the world.

Bella Swan may have been a timid little mouse at times, but she was intelligent.

Edward was back at school the next Monday. Jojo didn't speak to him, but she watched him, him and Bella in particular. He was no longer snarling and hateful towards Baby Swan, but he still looked uncomfortable in her presence, though that didn't seem to be keeping him away. Bella seemed just the opposite. She looked eager to be around him.

The events of the next morning emphasized everything.

Just like almost every other student at Forks High, Jojo was hanging around the parking lot with Jesse and Monica, putting off going inside until the very last moment. Surprisingly, the Cullens were already there. They were leaning against their cars, talking amongst themselves and, as always, ignoring the rest of the school. Jojo was determinedly not looking anywhere near Jasper, still confused and irritated over the fact that he could rein her in when no one else could. The Cowboy didn't seem to like this, frowning over at her so much that her friends noticed and commented.

"You do know that if you continue to turn away from that, he'll eventually lose interest," Jesse stated casually. He nodded towards the Cullens when Jojo looked at him questionably.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, frowning in confusion. Both Jesse and Monica sent her disbelieving looks.

"Come on, Jojo, you pride yourself on noticing and outing everything that's even a little weird! How can you not have noticed _that?_"

"Noticed _what?_" the girl growled. Monica snorted and folded her arms, smirking over at Jesse.

"Oh, she's noticed, she just stubborn and hard-headed and doesn't want to admit to what she's seen."

"Hmm. You may be right."

"What the hell are you two rambling on about?" Jojo hissed. Jesse and Monica shared another look.

"That," they said together, looking over her shoulder. Jojo turned and her gaze locked with Jaspers.

"He's been staring at you for the last five minutes."

Jojo grumbled and pushed her glasses up. "So? For some reason he's got it in his head that I need another brother. He'll come to his senses eventually."

"A brother. Oh, yes, that _does_ make sense," Monica muttered sarcastically and Jesse chuckled.

Jojo ignored them both, still watching the Cullens. Beside Jasper, Alice was talking a mile a minute to Emmett. Rosalie looked bored, a looked shared by her nose-in-the-air brother. At the moment, the family seemed almost normal – if you took away the god-like looks, the yellow eyes and the royalty-like haughtiness. Well, the last bit you only had to take from Golden Boy and Bitch Queen. The rest of them were decent enough, even if Alice acted like a hyperactive pixie on twelve Red Bulls.

Suddenly there was a screech of breaks and the Perfect Family became a lot more interested in what was going on around them. Jojo watched as Edward's face morphed into a look of horror, and then he was… gone.

Just like that. He vanished in a blink of an eye, quicker than that even. People began to shout and Jojo's head whipped round to see Tyler Crowley's van resting against Bella's rusted old truck. Shouts became screams and Jojo narrowed her eyes, blinking when a _blur_ shot from between the two vehicles, so fast she couldn't follow it. She did try her best, ending up looking at the Cullens again, to see…

To see Edward standing there, all casual like, as if he hadn't even moved in the first place.

Jojo's mouth fell open. She swallowed and stared, her attention drawn back to the accident scene when Bella stood up slowly, right between the two vehicles. The senior blinked and shook her head in disbelief. That wasn't possible. She couldn't have been between them, otherwise she would've been a mess on the concrete. The cars were too close for her to have gotten out of the way in time. It was almost as if…

Her head shot back to the Cullens as her mind ticked over and suddenly began to ding loudly.

No. Fucking. Way.


End file.
